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Joe Sommers earned his second all-region award after catching 41 passes for 669 yards and three touchdowns.
Joe Sommers earned his second all-region award after catching 41 passes for 669 yards and three touchdowns.

Ray, Sommers Collect All-West Region Honors

UW-Oshkosh senior punter Nate Ray and junior tight end Joe Sommers have received NCAA Division III All-West Region First Team honors by D3football.com.

A total of 77 football players were chosen to the three All-West Region squads, including 25 to the First Team. Six players from UW-Whitewater and two from both UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point joined Ray and Sommers on the First Team.

Ray, who repeated as an All-West Region First Team selection, leads the NCAA Division III in punting with an average of 43.9 yards per kick. The WIAC Special Teams Player of the Year launched 16 punts of 50-plus yards this season, including a conference-leading 73-yard kick against UW-River Falls and a 71-yard boot against UW-Whitewater. Ray landed 19 of his punts inside the 20-yard line.

Sommers, an All-West Region Second Team member a year ago, led UW-Oshkosh this season with 41 receptions for 669 yards and three touchdowns. Sommers caught a career-high eight passes for 81 yards against UW-Platteville and three passes for a career-best 105 yards and two touchdowns against UW-Eau Claire.

West Region Player of the Year awards went to Wartburg College (Iowa) tackle Chris Brinkmeier on offense and UW-Platteville linebacker Jacob Zilbar on defense. Wartburg College's Rick Willis was named the region's Coach of the Year.

UW-Oshkosh has tallied 43 All-West Region selections since 1998. The Titans have had at least one all-region choice during each of the last six seasons.

The Titans won six of their last seven games to finish the 2014 season with a 6-4 record. UW-Oshkosh, which placed second in the WIAC standings with a 6-1 mark, was ranked 23rd in the latest D3football.com poll.

Three of UW-Oshkosh's four losses this fall were to teams who eventually qualified for postseason play. The Titans lost 41-3 to NCAA Division I South Dakota State University, 24-20 to Marian University (Ind.) and 24-7 to UW-Whitewater.

This Friday (Dec. 19), Marian University (11-2) meets Southern Oregon University for the NAIA title while UW-Whitewater (14-0) plays the University of Mount Union (Ohio) for the NCAA Division III crown. South Dakota State University (9-5) lost in the quarterfinal round of the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs to North Dakota State University on Dec. 6.

D3football.com's 2014 NCAA Division III All-West Region Football Team